Temporarily creating hair styles for an extended period of up to several days generally requires the use of setting active ingredients. Hair treatment agents that are used to temporarily impart shape to the hair therefore play an important role. Corresponding agents for temporary reshaping usually comprise synthetic polymers and/or waxes serving as the setting active ingredient. Agents for supporting the temporary shaping of hair can be formulated in the form of hair spray, hair wax, hair gel, or hair foam, for example.
The most important property of an agent for temporarily reshaping hair, hereafter also referred to as a styling agent, is to give the treated fibers the strongest hold possible in the newly modeled shape, which is to say a shape that has been imparted to the hair. This is also referred to as strong styling hold or a high degree of hold of the styling agent. The styling hold is essentially determined by the nature and amount of the setting active ingredient that is used, although further components of the styling agent may also have an influence
In addition to a high degree of hold, styling agents must satisfy a whole host of additional requirements. These can be broken down in approximate terms into properties of the hair, properties of the individual formulation, such as properties of the foam, of the gel, or of the sprayed aerosol, and properties that relate to the handling of the styling agent, wherein the properties of the hair are particularly important. In particular moisture resistance, low tack, and a balanced conditioning effect shall be mentioned. Moreover, a styling agent should be universally suitable for all hair types to an extent as great as possible, and be gentle on the hair and skin.
In order to meet the diverse requirements, a number of synthetic polymers have already been developed as setting active ingredients, which are used in styling agents. The polymers can be divided into cationic, anionic, non-ionic and amphoteric setting polymers. As an alternative or in addition, waxes are used as setting active ingredients. Ideally, the polymers and/or waxes form a polymer film when applied to the hair, or a film that gives the hair style a strong hold on the one hand, but on the other hand is sufficiently flexible so as not to break under stress.
Styling products that are present in the form of emulsions can moreover have instabilities in the form of synereses, which have the undesirable effect of resulting in a short shelf life.